Moraes vs. Beebe

Bantamweights

The Matchup: After beginning his professional MMA
career with a relatively pedestrian 6-4-1 mark, five consecutive
victories have propelled Moraes into the bantamweight division’s
top 10. There is no question that the Brazilian is one of WSOF’s
breakout stars, but is the promotion already running out of
high-caliber opposition for him to face? Moraes began his
promotional tenure with flashy victories over former
World Extreme Cagefighting bantamweight champion Miguel
Torres and Tyson Nam, who
owned a buzz-worthy knockout of Bellator 135-pound king Eduardo
Dantas. Brandon
Hempleman, whom Moraes dominated at WSOF 4, and Beebe do not
quite have the same career-boosting appeal.

Still, coming from a family with deep wrestling roots, Beebe has
the background to give Moraes problems, provided he can execute a
game plan based on takedowns and top control. That is no guarantee
considering that the “Little Juggernaut” was fortunate to emerge
victorious from his WSOF debut against Joe Murphy.
While Beebe initiated his share of takedowns in the bout, Murphy
caught the Illinois native in a number of chokes and generally held
his own in scrambles on the mat. Despite Murphy’s efforts, Beebe
captured a contentious unanimous decision.

Beebe is most comfortable when he is the dominant wrestler in a
fight. His standup arsenal is limited, so if he faces an opponent
who can control distance with striking, his options become limited.
While Beebe is active in looking to advance from top position, his
ground-and-pound is not of the devastating variety.

Moraes, a Brazilian national muay Thai champion, would do well to
keep Beebe at range using his versatile repertoire of kicks. The
Ricardo
Almeida Jiu-Jitsu representative is particularly punishing when
attacking the leg; he forced Hempleman to alter his stance thanks
to a barrage of whipping low kicks. Moraes’ kicks often come at the
end of punching combinations, making him more difficult to counter.
His ability to change levels with his kicks allows him to set up
more devastating offerings, such as the head kick that felled Nam.
Moraes has a competent submission game should he find himself
grounded, and Beebe sometimes leaves himself vulnerable in
scrambles while pursuing more dominant positions.

The Pick: Even if Moraes does not tenderize
Beebe’s leg with kicks, he is more than versatile enough to keep
his foe guessing. Moraes ability to use movement and angles on the
feet will frustrate Beebe and limit takedown and tie-up
opportunities. If Moraes does not get the KO or TKO, he cruises to
a decision.